Alyssa Boczar, Senior Account Manager

A great place to shop local all year long is The Black Sheep & Company in the Village of Lancaster. 

They have a little bit of everything, so it’s a great place to shop for that hard-to-buy-for person on your list.

From home decor, to Buffalo novelties, to soaps, lotions, and more—their shelves are bursting with unique products. At the very least, it’s a fun store to visit because there is just so. Much. To. Look at. (And they’ll usually offer you a glass of wine while you shop!)

Franklin Heinzmann, Account Coordinator

Dave and Adam’s in Williamsville has a wide variety of sports apparel, sports memorabilia, comic books, retro gaming paraphernalia, and basically any trading card that’s ever existed—sports or gaming related.

I saw on Twitter that they recently won an auction for a Honus Wagner baseball card from around 1910 that’s worth almost $4 million. 🤯 But I digress. If you’re shopping for the sports fan, or the gamer, or the trading card collector, or the comic book connoisseur in your life this holiday season, Dave & Adam’s is my recommendation.

Christopher White, Creative Director

Well, shopping is not something that I particularly enjoy. 

For that reason, probably 99% of my shopping (outside of groceries, the occasional beverage run, or a trip to the hardware store) happens *GASP*… 

Online. 

Therefore, unfortunately, I don’t have much that I can contribute to this conversation. Unless you’re looking for hardware… then I’d recommend Arthur’s a few doors down from our world headquarters here in sunny Orchard Park. A good selection, and helpful, friendly folks.

Tyler McElhaney, Graphic Designer & Web Developer

Let me start by saying that I’m not a native Buffalonian. 

Let me continue by saying that I currently live in Rochester. 

If you are looking for home decor, I’ve had great luck at Tattered Tulip. They have three locations now, all great for rustic- or farmhouse-looking items. Let me know if you need some local places in San Diego—I got you!

Lisa Hinterberger, Graphic Designer

One of my favorite local shops is Nigh Road in Hamburg. 

They have the best selection on home decor, women’s clothing, shoes, and jewelry. This shop is great if you are looking for that perfect gift for your mom, sister, or friend! 

What I like most about the shop is how everything is decorated and set up; I could literally spend a day looking at everything! If you can’t make the trip out to Hamburg, they also have a website where you can order stuff. Check them out!

Steve Lingle, CEO

I’m not supposed to enjoy shopping, but I do. And as much as I enjoy a new pair of kicks or comfortable hoodie, I enjoy shopping for my wife almost as much. Almost.

And when I do, it’s always at Molly & Kate in the village of Hamburg. There’s almost nothing in there she won’t like, and there’s a new selection every time—home decor, clothing, jewelry, soaps and lotions—you know, the stuff most dads and husbands get excited about.

James A. Colombo III, Copywriter & Content Strategist

Back in my day, you could go to the Super Flea & Farmers Market in Cheektowaga and get yourself a haircut, five loaves of cinnamon raisin bread, and a six-foot bong in the span of 20 minutes. Folks, that’s what you call RANGE. A true one-stop shop, as they say.

Sadly, the Super Flea is no longer with us. It’s now a WalMart. A WalMart! Ain’t nothing local about a lousy WalMart. So these days, when I wanna ramp up my collection of curios, oddities, and totally worthless trading cards (or find something extra special for my mistress, Cassandra), I hit up Antique World in Clarence.

Editor’s Note: The Super Flea and Farmers market made its triumphant return to Buffalo in the summer of 2022. 

Jerry Lee, Marketing Strategist

For me, “local” means near Jamestown, NY—home of the National Comedy Center, Russell E. Diethrick, Jr. Park (where I grew up watching many minor league baseball games and eating even more hot dogs), and on occasion, busloads of Lucille Ball impersonators. 

When it comes to shopping local, one of Jamestown’s finest gems is a small business celebrating their second Black Friday season this year: Ballgame Heroes. The store serves sports fans and their loved ones seeking sports cards, memorabilia, trading game cards, and sports apparel. 

What they don’t sell, though, they deliver by the bucket-load, and that’s the magic of nostalgia. From vintage sports cards to modern ones (and those in between, from say, the 80s, which some of us aren’t yet ready to call vintage), many a parent and child visit to talk about their childhood collections, trade cards with the store (and each other), and buy packs and boxes of the finest sports cards in the market, seeking their favorite players (and in some cases, decades old sticks of bubble gum). 

If you have someone on your list seeking items of the sort, a trip to Jamestown will prove that there’s something intangible inside the doors at Ballgame Heroes, which is just a bit more special this time of year. Give them a look—you’ll feel like a kid again!